The Mellon Centre for Migration Studies at the Ulster American Folk Park, Omagh,
is pleased to host the Seventeenth Ulster-American Heritage Symposium,
25-28 June, 2008, in partnership with the University of Ulster, Queen's University
Belfast, the National Museums, the Library Service of Northern Ireland and the Ulster Historical Foundation.
Since 1976 the Ulster-American Heritage Symposium has met every two years,
alternating between co-sponsoring universities and museums in Ulster and North
America. Its purpose is to encourage scholarly study and public awareness
of the historical connections between Ulster and North America including what
is commonly called the Scotch-Irish or Ulster-Scots heritage. The Symposium
has as its general theme the process of transatlantic emigration and settlement,
and links between England, Scotland, Ireland and North America. Its approach
is multi-disciplinary, encouraging dialogue between those working in different
fields including history, language, literature, geography, archaeology, anthropology,
religion, folklife and music.

The particular theme of
the meeting in 2008 will be 'Changing Perspectives, 1607-2007' with the aim
of presenting and exploring recent research that challenges habitual ways
of thinking about the historical relationship between Ulster and North America
over the last four hundred years.

The keynote speaker will
be Professor David Cannadine, Director of the Institute of Historical Research
in the University of London and author of Mellon: An American Life (2006).

As at
the last Symposium in Knoxville, Tennessee in 2006, there will be an excursion
on offer on Wednesday 25 June. Our plan is to visit Ramelton and Rathmullan
in County Donegal.